Elementary student Nash Johnson was hoping to purchase an Xbox. So, he found a clever way to apply for a job.

Xbox and the Los Angeles Lakers are expanding their partnership to inspire the next generation of athletes. In its latest efforts, it was announced that Xbox and NBA athlete Dwight Howard renovated the Boys & Girls Club of San Fernando Valley, which will house the program’s Dream Space. Kids are welcomed to enjoy the multi-purpose gaming lab featuring new artwork, custom purple and gold Xbox Series S consoles, gaming PCs, and screens.

When it comes to sports and technology, StatusPRO not only gets it right but encourages others to see just how significant technology is to the sports industry and vice versa. As athletes, founders Andrew “Hawk” Hawkins and Troy Jones know the importance of using technology to make training more efficient for sports professionals across the nation. The company marries technology and sports by combining player data, augmented reality (AR), and virtual reality (VR) to design a suite of training and gaming products. Now, they can continue to execute the vision for their company thanks to a $5.2 million seed round, according to a press release provided to AfroTech. Led by venture capital firms KB Partners and TitletownTech, the round also received additional backing from 49ers Enterprises, Greycoft, Haslam Sports Group, SC Holdings, Verizon Ventures, and a host of other celebrity investors. This is a huge milestone for both Hawkins and Jones. “The XR [AR and VR] market has seen...

When it comes to the gaming industry, oftentimes Black women are completely left out of the conversation, but not Cierra McDonald. McDonald has worked within the Xbox organization for 13 years and has experience in everything from billing to achievements to documentations. For her, the love of gaming started at a young age when she was first introduced to the world of technology by purchasing a floppy disc of Monkey Island. From there, she learned to navigate DOS through the installation process and the rest is history! Now, as the Principal Program Manager for Xbox at Microsoft, McDonald is on a mission to shift the narrative of Black female characters in the gaming industry. “I think too often folks start with ‘male’ and ‘white’ as the default when envisioning game characters or stories, even if it’s not intentional or done explicitly,” said McDonald in an email interview with AfroTech. “So, that becomes the baseline. When they want to add a female character, she is likely created...

Xbox is committed to building the most inclusive gaming community on the planet. In an announcement, the gaming system revealed it’s celebrating Black History Month by offering gaming experiences that highlight the contributions of influential Black developers and creators while also raising awareness around causes pertaining to Black communities. The company wrote in a statement: “We believe that small actions from members of the Xbox community can lead to lasting change in the industry, such as speaking up to report and callout racist remarks, learning about Black history and culture, and empowering Black-owned businesses and inclusive creators. By amplifying Black voices, partnering with more Black creators, and continuing to address racial injustice, we strive to contribute to real change in our industry. We are committed to supporting Black audiences across the globe through programs that focus on issues relevant to them.” In June, Team Xbox and the Xbox player community came...

Cleveland Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. is dipping his hand into the gaming world with a new collaboration by way of Xbox. After tearing his ACL back in October, the NFL superstar has focused his time on partnering with Xbox for a new sneaker and controller collaboration inspired by their global Power Your Dreams campaign . Xbox and @obj worked on a custom Air Force 1 Low and controller which will be given away during the holidays 🎮 pic.twitter.com/PujJYkNNBt — B/R Kicks (@brkicks) December 7, 2020 According to an announcement from Xbox, the newly-launched campaign is a nod to the dreaming aspect of gaming culture. For OBJ’s collaboration, the gaming company debuted a “Dream Kit” inclusive of a custom pair of Nike Air Force 1 sneakers and designs for a wireless controller all fitting to his dreams (literally). The announcement also shared the design behind OBJ’s custom Xbox controller and the inside of his custom AF1 shoes were both “inspired by the blazing stars from his dream,”...